$12 million plan would upgrade two parks

Wednesday

Apr 27, 2011 at 12:01 AM

The Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission made a $12 million pitch to overhaul Munny Sokol and Bowers parks.Tourism officials told the Tuscaloosa City Council on Tuesday that the upgrade would create “world class” sporting complexes that would draw large revenue-generating tournaments and events to the region.

By Jason MortonStaff Writer

TUSCALOOSA | The Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission made a $12 million pitch to overhaul Munny Sokol and Bowers parks.Tourism officials told the Tuscaloosa City Council on Tuesday that the upgrade would create “world class” sporting complexes that would draw large revenue-generating tournaments and events to the region.“The bar in Alabama isn't set so high that Tuscaloosa can't be the best,” said Gary Minor, the new executive director of the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority. “You're talking about doing something big. It's going to take big actions.”Don Staley, the executive director of sports for the tourism commission, presented the plan for Sokol and Bowers parks.The plan calls for the construction of eight new baseball or softball fields at Sokol Park, bringing the total at the park to 18. These would replace the eight fields at Bowers Park. In their place, the plan calls for the construction of 13 regulation-size fields for football or soccer.Staley said the goal is to create a unified location for baseball or softball games and a unified location for football or soccer competitions.Cohesive parks are more attractive to tournament and event organizers, he said.The City Council took no action on the plan, but it did not reject the proposal outright.“Right now, we don't have the facilities we need for our own community, much less tourism,” said Councilman Lee Garrison.Mayor Walt Maddox and the seven council members had several questions about how the overhaul would be funded.One way to cover the cost would be to use portions of a 1 percent tax increase on hotel lodging in the city. The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday night to change a $1 per room, per night fee on hotel rooms to a 1 percent tax, bringing the total lodging tax amount within the city of Tuscaloosa to 11 percent.The purpose of the $1 fee, which will remain in place until June 1, and the subsequent 1 percent tax is to generate money for the Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission. The commission convinced the City Council last year that it needed the revenue to pay the fees required to bid on luring sporting events to Tuscaloosa.The change from $1 per room per night to a percentage-based increase was made at the behest of economy hotel owners within the city and the Tuscaloosa Area Hospitality Association. The association offered its full support toward the percentage-based system.It also voiced its support to the City Council of the $12 million parks project, as did several other groups, sport clubs and the University of Alabama .“There's no reason why we won't have — from youth to adults — 10,000 people in our community using these facilities every year,” said Brett LaFerrara of the Tuscaloosa United Soccer Club, noting that soccer is a year-round activity.“This is an incredible opportunity,” said University of Alabama women's head soccer coach Todd Bramble. “What I don't want you to think is that this is too big for Tuscaloosa.”Maddox and the City Council appeared to agree.But funding the park enhancements might be too big for one government to handle.“To do something this bold, we will need the help of the (Tuscaloosa) County government,” Maddox said, urging the Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission to make the same presentation to the County Commission. “And I'm not talking about delaying this.“Let's move quickly.”Garrison, the City Council's liaison with the Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission, agreed.“Something like this, I believe, has to be looked at from a perspective that's countywide,” Garrison said.According to the Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission, the costs could be defrayed with corporate sponsorships and other fund-raising mechanisms.But the biggest payoff will be the ability to attract sports tournaments and other events that can fill hotels and restaurants for days. Staley referenced the 2010 Youth Soccer Regional Championship held last year in Baton Rouge, La., that brought an estimated economic impact of $12 million to $15 million to the area during a nine-day span.“I believe this right here,” Staley said, “is an investment in our community.”